Crave

(Credit: Sean Kenney)

In conjunction with the launch of the Nintendo DSi in the U.S., the Japan-based video game console company commissioned artist Sean Kenney to create a large Lego sculpture of its latest handheld. And, boy, did he make one.

The details on this scale model are simply amazing, right down to the stylus slot and power connector. In fact, if it wasn't for the person standing beside it in the picture, it'd be hard to tell that this isn't just a pixelated photograph of the DSi. If you want to see it in the flesh, it's on display at the Nintendo World Store at Rockefeller Center in New York City.

(Via Crave Asia)

With estimated unit sales approaching 100 million worldwide, Nintendo has proven itself time and time again as the industry ruler of the portable console market. With the DSi--the second refresh of the Nintendo DS--we're starting to see the company move in an evolutionary direction with its flagship handheld.

The DSi takes with it most of the features the DS Lite had to offer, but adds new multimedia capabilities. The DSi has been on sale in Japan since November 1 of last year and has already sold well over an astonishing 1 million units. Now that Nintendo has announced that the DSi will go on sale April 5 in North America, it certainly leaves everyone asking one big question, "Should I buy one?"

First, let's look at what exactly separates the new DSi from the DS Lite. In terms of actual form-factor, the difference between the two portables is negligible. The DSi is slightly slimmer, but you're not going to see the massive change in size like we saw when Nintendo upgraded the original DS to the DS Lite. What you may notice is that both screens are a quarter of an inch larger. The DSi hardware also actually eliminates the Game Boy Advance slot found on the Lite, so you won't be able to play older Game Boy Advance games or DS titles that make use of the port, such as "Guitar Hero: On Tour."

Up close with the Nintendo DSi

Nintendo on Wednesday confirmed that the DSi gaming handheld will retail for $170 when it hits U.S. shores on April 5. The official word from the company is in line with widespread rumors that cropped up last month.

The DSi will initially be available in blue and black models. Given Nintendo's track record, it's a sure bet that additional colors will eventually follow.

Already available in Japan (see photos below), the DSi is an evolutionary upgrade of the monstrously popular Nintendo DS Lite. The new model includes larger screens, 2 cameras, and an SD slot in place of the Game Boy cartridge slot found on current models. The expandable flash storage will dovetail with new DSi Shop, an online marketplace for downloadable games available via the unit's built-in Wi-Fi connection.

Up close with the Nintendo DSi

What do you think? Are you looking forward to the DSi? Are you content to stick with the current DS Lite? Or does the Sony PSP or iPhone/iPod Touch fulfill all your portable gaming needs?

Update at 1:20 p.m. PST: This post was updated to show the correct U.S. launch date.

Internet and mobile services are expected to score against handheld video game players and satellite radio amid an economic recession, according to results from a Forrester Research survey released Monday.

According to the results, 51 percent of North America consumers surveyed said they planned to curtail technology spending in the coming year, due to the economy. And areas expected to take the greatest hit include handheld video game players, followed by satellite radio, smart phones, video game consoles, and portable GPS devices.

(Credit: Forrester Research)

The report noted:

While no device is immune from consumer spending cuts, new devices such as satellite radios and handheld video game players are the most likely to be left off the priority list - two thirds of consumers, regardless of their previous intentions, said that they are less likely to purchase these two devices in a recession, while a scant 3 percent said that they are more likely.

The survey, which took the pulse of more than 5,000 consumers in North America during November, found that high-definition TVs were more resilient, with only half of those surveyed saying they were less likely to purchase an HDTV in the coming year. And 7 percent of survey respondents even noted they were more likely to buy an HDTV, Forrester noted.

But Internet, as well as mobile, services fared far better.

According to the report:

An evaluation of purchase intentions can determine which products consumers see as essential and which they consider a luxury, mobile phone and Internet service, for instance, remain steady, while momentum for newer products such as personal navigation devices and satellite radio will slow.

Among Internet users, 83 percent of survey respondents noted they have no plans to change their service and 2 percent indicated plans to increase their service. As for mobile phone users, 70 percent said planned to keep the status quo, with 2 percent noting plans to increase their service, according to Forrester.

But all services are not created equal. Premium cable services and landline phone services, for example, were deemed less essential to survey respondents, with 14 percent of those users cumulatively noting they may cancel or reduce their service.

(Credit: CNET)

Rumor had it the Nintendo DSi, a new, slimmer version of the DS Lite, would ship first in Japan in early summer of next year. But in a surprise move, Nintendo has said the recently announced handheld game system is ready to ship.

According to Michelle Wyman, a spokeswoman for Nintendo, the DSi goes on sale Saturday in Japan for 18,900 yen, which is about $192.16.

The device does away with the Game Boy Advance card slot to make room for a smaller footprint and new features like a VGA camera and an external camera rumored to be 2 megapixels. All told, though, it's pretty similar to the current version of the DS Lite. We should expect to see it in America sometime next year, though how much it will cost, we don't yet know.

One fan's vision of a possible--but completely fictional--PSP redesign

(Credit: Kotaku)

Google PSP redesign or PSP2, and you'll get tens of thousands of results (and even a few interesting homemade Photoshop jobs, such as the "PSP Mini" shown above)--a testament to the fact that many gamers, it seems, were never quite comfortable with the design of Sony's first handheld gaming system. To be sure, the PSP has its share of issues, not the least of which is the UMD format--the proprietary optical disc format is hobbled with slow load times, and the moving parts sap the PSP's battery life. Controls have always been suspect, too, with most gamers lusting for a second analog stick to better mimic the home PlayStation DualShock controller. And the dearth of onboard storage limits the device's media functions to the comparatively paltry storage of removeable Memory Stick Duo flash memory cards. At the same time, rumors of the PSP's demise have been greatly exaggerated--while it hasn't knocked dethroned Nintendo from handheld gaming's top spot, the PSP has sold well by any other measure, with a worldwide install base estimated at more than 24 million and a growing library of great games.

But hardware refreshes are par for the course in the gaming world, and the PSP--which originally hit Japan in the fall of 2004--is due for a makeover. Citing anonymous "highly placed" sources, Kotaku provided a laundry list of improvements in an alleged PSP redesign--all the way back in March 2007. And rumors of a PSP phone continue to persist as well. Whether or not Sony will unveil a PSP redesign at this week's E3 conference in Santa Monica is anybody's guess--we'll know by mid-afternoon on Wednesday. In the meantime, though, it's open season: let us know how you'd improve the PSP.